I’m a regular at Payless and the sales at Kohl’s, and I usually have no problems. But in the last 1-2 years I’ve found that more and more shoes seem to hurt my feet in one way or another after wearing them for a few hours.

(for example, flats that cut into my heels; flat sandals that just seem to hurt my foot muscles; heels that kill the balls of my feet, pinch my toes, or rub somewhere else, etc). I understand the break-in period, but this seems worse than normal… can’t seem to wear them long enough to break them in!

So my question is, do expensive shoes (like $60 and up??) hurt less? Is the craftsmanship really that different that they are better for your feet??

they can. i’ve worn some super comfortable shoes that are cheap, and some super uncomfortable shoes that are more expensive. i think it depends on the shoe.

generally the more expensive ones are made with better quality materials. which does make a difference. a genuine leather shoe is going to be more comfortable than a faux leather one. cause the real leather moves and stretches easier.

YES!! I have gotten flack from my friends since FOREVER about spending a lot of money on shoes. But it makes such a huge difference for me. I have 5+ inch heels that I have had for years, and they are comfortable all day.

That being said, not all expensive shoes are created equal. I’ve purchased veryyyy expensive shoes and had to return them because they were uncomfortable before I even started wearing them. So I try out different brands, find comforable ones, and then those are my go to brands.

It depends. You have to find the designer that works for your feet. I have large and very wide feet. It doesn’t matter how much money I spend on Jimmy Choos, most of his shoes kill my feet. Stuart Weitzman makes shoes that I can dance in all night with no problem, despite being hundreds of dollars less expensive. I think designer heels are usually 95% better than what is offered by discount brands, but things like flats and flipflops, you’re okay with going with inexpensive options as long as they’re decently made.

Louboutin SUCKS for comfort. Stuart Weitzman and Cole Haan are my absolute go to for shoes that I want to look nice but be able to walk 10 blocks with no issue. Monolo makes shoes that fit my feet amazingly, but while they are comfy for me, my SIL absolutely hates them.

Oh woooops, I didn’t realize $60 were considered expensive. Where are you buying your shoes?!

I have a pair of sandals from Target that are non-leather and cost like $25, and they are currently my most comfy summer footwear. For closed toe footwear, I ALWAYS will want a leather shoe, so stores like Payless with their gross plastic insoles are not for me. Even Aldo has full leather shoes on sale for like $50. If I want a budget shoe, I tend to go to Nine West. I just bought leather pumps that rival my Cole Haan’s in comfort for $110, and I bet they will last the same amount of time before repairs are needed.

Tip: find a great cobbler, and get your shoes repaired. The reason I buy pricier shoes is because I wear them out, take them to fantastic cobbler, and he gets them looking new for me. For $30-40/year, I have “new” $500 pumps year after year.

@ItsPronounced_ABear: First, to me, $60 is cheap; I would class anything above $150 as expensive; anything under that is pretty average IMPO.

As far as comfort goes, for me it depends on the designer and the shoe. For example, I find that flats and boots offer much the same in terms of comfort regardless of price. However, I find that when it comes to heels, pricier shoes offer a much great level of comfort.

I think it’s also down to your feet. Mine are narrow, and I tend to find that high-street shoes come up wider than designer shoes. So, whereas designer shoes hug my feet, provide support and don’t rub, I find that cheaper shoes often rub because they don’t fit so well, causing pain, and even cuts and blisters.

I own about a dozen pairs of lower-end designer shoes (in the $220-300 price range) and over a dozen pairs of shoes in the $500-900 price range. I find them all very comfortable; I can wear 4 inch designer heels for up to 10 hours with no issues, whereas I limit my cheaper shoes to 1-2 hours, as I find they burn and are painful after that. These days, I rarely buy non-designer heels, preferring to buy 1-2 pairs a year that are excellent quality, comfortable, and won’t date, than buy a dozen pairs that aren’t comfortable and will date.

@letigre: I only have one pair of Loubs and have only worn them once, but I found them really comfy; I wore them for 7 hours on their first ‘outing’ and was walking around/up and down stairs/between places, and I danced in them for about 2 hours. I had no issues at all. So I tend to think it depends on the style, and your feet; I think I’d have found other styles quite uncomfortable (and indeed I did when trying them on).

It all depends on the designer and your foot shape. If you have wider feet, you might have isses with Louboutins and Choos. It’s all about finding the right designer. I will say my current favorite pair of hees (aside from my wedding shoes) is a pair of Diane von Furstenberg pale gold snakeskin d’orsay pumps. I love them and can dance all night in them.